Late Night Thoughts

The Warning of Shadows Contrived

I
———
Away across the large beige fields
I hear the beckon come
Some small voice that haunts me
From the morning fog to orange sun

It knocks around within my gut
Until ghastly moans pass my lips
A throat not of my own possession
Is jealous of the voice's grip

"Blood will gush from a meteor
And life will come to the dead
Claim for yourself some pardon
For the shadow is close ahead"

My hands begin to shake
My heart is still, then hastened
My spine ceases its solidified shape
I'm a puddle filled with hatred

The voice is not so taunting
But offers only to warn
My heart soon breaks as I come to know
My memories are all still torn

I feel a hand lock onto my shoulder
Another voice commands
"Go now and seek your quietus,
One of candor and peaceful demands"

At once I felt no power
Over the shameful ways I've had
My torso shrinks but hardens
As I set out on my quest for justice, nearly mad

II
———
My paper chains behind me,
They stretch as I venture forth
A wildfire burns away my long graceless hair
But I'm comforted by its warmth

As I walk, I hold in one hand,
A lemon to squeeze into my eyes
In my other, the hand of my companion,
Death in regal disguise

Our conversations, though long
Happen a bit too rarely
I only remember that I don't travel alone
When my fingers cramp fresh and wearily

Death rattles on one night
My breath, my only response
But the words plague my garish fears
As the distant voice so freely wants

"Poor is the child who wanders alone
But those with companions may be destitute
Light will trick and dirt will cake
The body of those whom believe themselves to be absolute"

I travel on each morning
My companion's hand never leaving mine
Stopping to watch the lives of others
Trying to unlock some secret inside

I find a bar and drink for a while
I meet a man who drinks more than a whale
We reminisce about simplicity
And crack jokes at politicians' tales

At the end of the night our lips meet
But the voice echoes in my mind from afar
We break apart and Death wraps around me
A quilt made of guilt and tar

I move on that same night
To a town sprawled out next door
I sit on a bench and silently scream
Wanting to wear the quilt no more

In the night I hear a giggle
A child's laughter, plain as day
I follow the sound and find a girl
Beneath a slide, alone in her play

Concerned, I scan the grounds
There's no parent in sight
I want to help her find her home
Her family must be dying of fright

I see myself as if a ghost
And discover my limbs are stone
I can only watch her smile
As a man begins to approach alone

I try to scream in fear
I want desperately to warn her
But they cannot hear me, I cannot move
And so the man creeps in closer

His face is darkened but shined true yellow
In the way a gold coin is tarnished
Despite the darkness, I see his eyes glowing
Bright blue and sinister garnished

They converse for a while then he takes her hand
I resurrect myself and yell to distract him
He sees me and scowls then lets the girl go
Stalking off with a sauntering rhythm

I come close to the girl and she widens her eyes
They're completely black and filled with tears
I hold my hand out, requesting hers to comfort and protect
She instead turns and runs after the man, thinking I was the one to fear